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TL1 Arkansas Travelers

Travs rally late, but fall short in 7-6 loss

August 9, 2006 - Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release


Ray Winder Field, Little Rock, AR - The Frisco RoughRiders (24-22, 59-57) hit three home runs and held on for a 7-6 victory over the Arkansas Travelers (21-25, 45-70) for their 11th win in 12 games. The Travs had the winning runs in scoring position when RHP Danny Touchet (2nd save) induced 3B Matt Brown to fly out to right field to end the game. Frisco 1B Nate Gold (27), SS Casey Benjamin (5) and 3B Enrique Cruz (3) each homered as the Riders built a 7-4 lead off losing pitcher RHP Nick Green (7-3). LF Aaron Peel led the Travs attack with a 4-for-5 night including a home run (10), two doubles and three RBI. 1B Greg Porter also homered (17) and doubled knocking in two runs. Frisco RHP Eric Hurley (2-0) struck out a season-high nine batters in six innings for the win. He allowed four hits and two runs with just one walk. Green got through six innings, but allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and four strikeouts. Frisco has won nine-of-ten meetings between the teams after taking two-of-three in this series.

For the first time in the series Frisco scored the opening run getting an unearned tally in the first inning. Ruddy Yan's grounder to short died in the infield grass for a single to begin the game. After an out, Kevin Mahar bounced a ball to third and Brown tried to start a double play, but his throw to second base sailed into right field for an error. Yan held at second base on the play and advanced to third on a fly out to right field. Ben Harrison knocked Yan home with a single over shortstop for a 1-0 Frisco lead.

With one out in the second inning, Cruz belted a fastball over the right-field fence for a solo home run and a 2-0 Riders lead.

Hurley had retired four batters in a row until Porter's two-out solo home run over the right field fence in the second inning brought the Travs within 2-1.

After Porter's home run, Hurley set down four consecutive batters again until Peel lined a leadoff home run to right-center in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.

Green settled in and retired nine consecutive batters heading into the sixth inning, but Mahar began the inning with a bloop double to right field. Gold followed with a line drive home run inside the left-field fair pole to give Frisco a 4-2 lead. After two outs, Benjamin jacked his fourth home run against the Travs, a solo shot to right field for a 5-2 Frisco lead.

The Travs loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning on a double from Peel, a walk to Brown and a fastball that nudged Terry Evans's elbow. But Hurley got Porter to bounce out to third base on a check swing to leave three runners on.

Hurley left the game after the sixth inning and gave way for RHP Ryan Jensen. After retiring the first two batters of the seventh, Jensen allowed consecutive singles to 2B Eric Rodland and RF Nathan Haynes. Peel followed with a line drive double to right-center to bring two runs home. Jensen stranded the tying run at second base by getting Brandon Wood to bounce to short.

With Arkansas RHP Bob Zimmermann on the hill in the eighth inning, Harrison led off with a single and moved to second when Jake Blalock drew a walk. After an out, Cruz lined a pitch to the left-field corner knocking in Harrison and advancing Blalock to third. C Mike Nickeas gave Frisco a 7-4 lead with a sacrifice fly to right.

Once again the Travs came back in the eighth inning against Jensen beginning with a one-out triple to center by Evans. Porter followed with a drive to left-center for an RBI double to cut Frisco's lead to 7-5. After Wilson flied out to right field, Porter was a few steps off first base and Mahar tried to double him off second, but threw wild and the ball rolled through the visiting bullpen and Porter was awarded home plate to get the Travs within 7-6.

The Travs almost got the tying run on base to begin the ninth inning when Rodland hit a sharp chopper that Gold snared in the second-base hole. He threw to Touchet at first for the out. Haynes then reached on a throwing error by Benjamin and Peel shot his fourth hit of the night, a single, to left field to put the winning run on base. Wood then flied out to deep center allowing Haynes and Peel to advance, but Brown flied out to right-center to end the game.

Time of game was 2:51 and the paid attendance was 3,529.

The Travs embark on a seven-game road trip beginning with a three-game series at Midland. On Thursday, Arkansas RHP Jose Arredondo (2-1, 6.68 ERA) takes the hill in the series opener at Citibank Ballpark against Midland RHP David Bradley (6-10, 5.33 ERA). First pitch will be thrown at 6:30 p.m.

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